Clamping mechanism.



a B. M. W. HANSON.

GLAMPING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION rmm mm: 2a. 1909.

989,006. Patented Apr. 11,1911.

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WneesesA-W Inventor: Oz BM "(Human B. M. W.,HANSON.

CLAMPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE28,1909.

Patented Apr. 11,1911.

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BENGT M. W. HANSON, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGN OR TO PRATT & WHITNEY COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OLAMPING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENGT M. W. HAN- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamping mechanism and has for its primary object the provision of simple and effective mechanism for readily securing a rigid setting of the toolcarrier in that class of machines in which such a tool-carrier is commonly known as a f turret Another object of the invention is the provision of clamping mechanism having all of its parts located below the turret and having the manipulating element for the clamp at such a point that any interference thereof with the adjustment of tools mounted upon the turret is avoided.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification I have illustrated in detail one form of embodiment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same will be fully set forth in the following description while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description.

Referring to said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a turret lathe involving clamping means including my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View on an enlarged scale of the clamp and its actuating rod, and, Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

While my invention is capable of being applied to turrets of various design heretofore common it is especially desirable when employed in connection with a flat top turret which is one having a flat upper surface to which the tools may be secured and upon which they may be readily adjusted. Such a turret is shown in the drawings and in addition to the advantage of having a flat surface is free of any obstruction whatever to interfere with adjustment of the tools thereon which is not true of similar turrets provided with a clamping device at the center.

In order that the several tools carried by the turret may be successively presented to the work carried by the work holder or chuck l fastened to the work spindle 1, said turret is pivotally mounted so that it may be turned or indexed. This of course necessitates comparatively free bearing surfaces which could not be depended upon to properly support the turret when the tools carried thereby are actively engaged with the work. Obviously the accuracy of the work accomplished depends to a great extent upon the rigidity with which the turret is held when in a position to operatively present the tools carried thereby and this desired rigidity is adequately obtained in the embodiment of my invention in which the clamping power is applied at or near the periphery of said turret. The spindle 1 is supported by the head stock 1 and is provided with the usual adjuncts.

Designated by the numeral 2 are the ways of the bed of a turret lathe upon which is mounted for longitudinal movement or reciprocation a carriage as 3 having a slide as 4 for transverse movement. Upon said slide 4 is pivoted a turret as 5 which may be controlled by any suitable indexing and locking mechanism a portion of the latter only being shown and comprising a bolt as 6 adapted to engage pins as 7 rigidly secured to the turret. Said bolt is normally thrown to its pin-engaging position by a spring-backed plunger as 8, the withdrawing mechanism therefor being omitted as immaterial with respect to the present invention. At this point in order to distinguish between the lockingmechanism and the clamping mechanism it may be well to state that the former merely prevents displacement of the turret after it has been indexed while the latter ,exerts the powerful binding action required to give the rigidity necessary to produce accurate results upon the work.

It is essential that the turret 5 be maintained at all times in a plane horizontal to its axis or rotation or in other words prevented from tilting and for this urpose a gib as 9 is provided. Said gib whic is preferably in sections is fitted in a groove as 5' in the periphery of the turret and firmly secured to the cross slide 4 by screws 9. At a suitable place in the cross-slide 4 and mounted in a bore as 10 therein is a clamping-member 11 comprising a shank l2 and a head 13, the latter being approximately similar in cross section to the gib 9 and likewise p y I 989,006

ing member that the clamping pressure is applied it being seen that the gib or flange 9 is slotted or cut away to receive said head 13. Owing tov the fact that the annular,

peripheral groove is present I provide at all times or in every position of the turret a proper relation between the clamping member and said turret,

Various means may be employed for effecting the proper thrust to the clamping member 11 for setting the same but I prefer to utilize for this purpose an actuating rod as 14: having a tapered end as 15 adapted to engage the wall of a similarly tapered hole or seat 16 in the shank 12 of the clamping member 11. Said rod extends through a bore in the cross slide at right angles to the shanklQ and by moving it longitudinally toward said shank a wedge-like. action occurs between the two described taper surfaces sufiicient for causing the head 13 to exert a powerful pressure on the periphery ofv the turret to draw the same downward into clamping relation with the slide 4:. A

threaded engagement between the rod 14 and the wall of the bore in which said rod is mounted affords a positive means for ad vancing or retracting said rod when the latter is turned. For the convenience of the attendantsof the machine the rod 14- is eX- tended toward the front of the cross slide I and is provided at its front or forward end with a manipulating handle as 17. It will be clear that if, for illustration, the handle 17 is turned to the right to set the clampingdevice 11, it will be turned to the left to free said clamping-device.

It will be evident that I provide a turret provided with means for carrying a plurality of tools said turret being rotative to bring said tools successively to the cutting position, and means for applying a downward clamping power, force or effect to the turret substantially at the cutting position.

What I claim is:

1. In a turret lathe, the combination with a work spindle, of a slide, a turret rotatively supported by said slide, havingan annular groove between its upper and lower surfaces, a gib connected with said slide, fitting in said groove and slotted, a clamping member having a head fitted in the slot of the gib and entering said groove, and located substantially at the cutting position, and means for imparting a downward thrust to the clamping member to draw said turret against said slide. a

2. In a turret lathe, the combination with a work spindle, of a slide, a turret rotatively supported by said slide, and a slide clamping member movable along a straight path .and operative to draw said turret downward against said slide at the cutting position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENGT' M. W. HANSON.

Witnesses HEATH SUTHERLAND, JOSEPH P. KENNEDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

